


Pace

by LittlePeony



Category: Led Zeppelin
Genre: Angst, Guess who is drunk, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26389972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlePeony/pseuds/LittlePeony
Summary: For a little while, Jonesy actually left Zeppelin, and came back.
Relationships: John Bonham/John Paul Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Pace

"I don't know," The low and humble retreating orange to an encasing grey, and the shattering of this ember's estate by the flick of a finger. "I don't... It's all rather tangled. Isn't it." 

He wasn't one for repeating himself, even when he stammered. Even then, it was through a sentence, not over what they both already came to terms with. 

He was not posing a question. But he felt like their present had a prison-like quality to it that had to be stated, instead of remaining a heavy-weighted elephant in their room. Sharing their bed. Omnipotent. 

The other was silent for a while, looking at his palms. His mouth had formed a straight line long ago, and he sat at the edge of the mattress. Tense. Hard. In stance and in unwavering vision. It would have been unsettling- the impression of a ticking time bomb, but the clock is no where to be found, but one could hear it- but he knew better. He had known for quite a while. 

The other was just trying to concentrate on a process long and hard. One he wanted to complete in this very moment. De-tangling. 

"You should sleep. We're on the road again come the sun." 

A grunt. The first frowned, eyes tired, in the yellow light of an unfamiliar lamp shade. It was the answer he expected, and still, not the one he wanted. 

Shadows moved like soft cotton through silk over features and blankets and walls, especially in places they knew they'd only visit once, in a room that they would never get the pleasure to roam about again. 

Still, the other man felt like something blocked his throat. Besides, words here were little help, barely even a condolence. They had no purpose and, therefore, did not have to be spoken. And yet... and yet he felt so choked- 

The first had breathed in another deep, slow drag from the Camel in his fingers, but sputtered through the inhale when he heard a sound like strangulation. 

Cigarette forgotten, smashed under a heeled shoe on the carpet. Burning smell, but orange, the orange could stay and glimmer, neon on the darkness of a city. 

"What- please, don't. Please- I can't- I can't loose you." Voices were always so strange when compared to their owner. Something that sounded like shattering shouldn't come from shoulders so strong. 

Smaller square hands grasped one bicep, and one scapula. But he did not think in anatomy. His brain worked in the fireflight of smoldering blaze green being put out by the rim of tears they held. Grimace of the mouth showed he didn't care whether or not chipped teeth were shown, presence of past alcohol indeed. Pain had to be shown, it was animal, it was instinct, sober or not. 

"I- I never said I'd be gone for long-" Composure was something he'd always have plenty of. But in times like this, when they both felt like they were being swept away by the riptide into doom they could see clearly, and only head to surely, did it matter? "I just- a break. Like vacation. Just for a bit." 

"Bloody- I fucking knew tha' I ru-" 

"Stop that! Right now." His turn to be hard, and concrete. "You don't, you didn't. I... I wouldnt have stayed so long, you know. If you hadn't." 

A frown could be picked up from a heavy bottom lip pressing a slight overbite mouth into a straighter form. "But... I never expected any of us to be here now, with what we're doing. I know you're even more exhausted then I am." Hardness gave way, he wasn't used to staying so sure. "I don't know how you manage." 

There was a pause. 

A big paw wiped at his own eyes, slickness rubbing over skin. 

"I always had somebody on my good side to help me keep pace."


End file.
